In the network’s World Cup preview show, Donovan didn’t mince words about his reaction to Jurgen Klinsmann’s statement that the US national team had no chance to win the World Cup.

“This will come as a surprise to nobody, but I don’t agree with Jurgen,” Donovan said. “And as someone who has been in that [USMNT] locker room and has sat next to the players, we agree with the American Outlaws: We believe that we will win. I think that’s the way Americans think and I think that’s the sentiment.”

But Donovan wasn’t just being a US cheerleader. He made a compelling argument for how he came to that opinion.

“If we’re really expecting to go out and beat Ghana, beat Portugal and beat Germany — in my opinion Germany is one of the best teams in the world. If you can beat Germany, why can’t you beat anybody else?

“It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but I believe [the US can win the World Cup] and I think all of America believes it. We can do it.”

The MLS all-time leading scorer seemed open and relaxed in an appearance from the LA studio that lasted a little under 10 minutes. He says he’s looking forward to “provide something different, a little analysis from an insider perspective that people will really appreciate.”

“Now I want to be behind the team and I want to support everybody,” he said. “I certainly wanted to be there in person, but this [TV analyst role] is another way to support the team through analyzing and helping out. And I’ve dedicated most of my life to helping grow the sport in this country and this is another way I get to do it.”

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/world-cup-landon-donovan-disagrees-with-jurgen-klinsmann-says-us-national-team-can-win-it-all/feed/0Donovan joins ESPN for World Cuphttp://www.caribpress.com/donovan-joins-espn-for-world-cup/
http://www.caribpress.com/donovan-joins-espn-for-world-cup/#commentsThu, 12 Jun 2014 04:00:44 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=35407LOS ANGELES — ESPN has hired Landon Donovan to offer commentary on the U.S. soccer team he was cut from just before the World Cup.

The all-time U.S. leader in goals and assists, the 32-year-old Donovan was dropped last month in a highly debated move by coach Jurgen Klinsmann. He made his ESPN debut during a two-hour World Cup preview show on Wednesday.

-Klinsmann: U.S. can’t win World Cup

– Donovan: “I deserved to go”

Donovan will work out of ESPN’s Los Angeles studios, with a particular focus on the U.S. He will provide analysis before and after the Americans’ group-stage matches and during halftime. Donovan will also appear on shows such as “SportsCenter.”

“Adding Landon to our ESPN roster just before the World Cup is a coup because he knows the United States team better than anyone having played such a huge role in its success, especially at this event,” said Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer. “Landon is also one of this country’s biggest sports stars and we believe that he will help attract even more fans to our month-long coverage.”

Added Donovan: “I am excited to be joining ESPN’s coverage of the 2014 World Cup from Los Angeles, and I look forward to working with the talented ESPN broadcasters to provide unique insights for our amazing U.S. Soccer fans.”

Donovan, who has made 53 more appearances in a national team shirt than any other active player, was outspoken about his disappointment in being left off the U.S.’s final 23-man roster.

“It was difficult at first,” he said on ESPN on Wednesday. “But as time goes on you sort of learn that decisions don’t always go your way in life.”

After leaving the U.S. training camp, he returned to the Los Angeles Galaxy and broke the Major League Soccer scoring record with his 136th goal last week.

“As difficult and disappointing as it was, there’s a silver lining,” Donovan said. “I got to go home and be a part of an L.A. Galaxy game in front of my friends and family where I was able to break the (MLS) goal scoring record.

“It was not easy. But I’m not the first person that’s had a decision go against them. It certainly won’t be the last.”

Donovan said joining ESPN was another way he can back the U.S. squad in Brazil.

“Now, as I said when I spoke about it initially, I want to be behind the team, I want to support everybody,” Donovan said. “I certainly wanted to be there in person but this is another way to support the team.”

Former teammate Jozy Altidore said in Sao Paulo he wasn’t too surprised by Donovan’s move to broadcasting.

“He’s a smart guy. He knows the game very well,” Altidore said. “It was always going to going to happen — right? — him to be a commentator.”

“I feel like people are probably going to want to tune in on that, yeah,” he added.

Until Sunday evening, there still remains a possibility that Donovan could be recalled to the U.S. team, should the Americans need to replace an injured player.

Donovan told “The Dan Patrick Show” last week he was ready in the event of any injury, but he said Klinsmann has not told him he could be used as a reserve.

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Of course, if I get a chance to do it, of course I would. I am ready if called upon,” Donovan said.

The U.S. opens World Cup play on Monday with a 6 p.m. ET match against Ghana in Natal in Group G, which also features Portugal and Germany.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/donovan-joins-espn-for-world-cup/feed/0Last three teams arrive in Brazilhttp://www.caribpress.com/last-three-teams-arrive-in-brazil/
http://www.caribpress.com/last-three-teams-arrive-in-brazil/#commentsThu, 12 Jun 2014 03:57:32 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=35405The arrivals of Ghana, Korea Republic and Portugal mean that all 32 participating teams are in Brazil ahead of the 20th FIFA World Cup™.

Korea Republic were the first to touch down on Wednesday morning. The Taeguk Warriors landed in Sao Paulo before heading to Foz do Iguaçu, in the state of Parana, where they will train at the Flamengo Esporte Clube. They face Russia in Cuiaba next Tuesday.

“I hope to have good memories of the World Cup,” said the South Koreans’ coach Hong Myung-Bo. “ At the Olympic Games two years ago, I never expected that our players could go so far! And in two years they have improved a lot. I know that in our group it´s not easy to qualify for the next stage, but we will try our best to do well.”

Portugal also arrived in Sao Paulo state, but in the city of Campinas, approximately 100km away from the capital. The Iberians will remain there to practice at the CT Ponte Preta before facing Germany on Monday. At the first link below you can download a photo for editorial purposes.

Ghana, who make up Group G alongside Portugal, were the final team to reach Brazil. The Africans flew into Salvador and from there on to Maceio in the north-east, where they will train at the Estadio Rei Pele.

Michael Bradley’s consistent performances at the heart of midfield prove that he’s indispensable even when dad Bob is no longer the coach. Passed over for the captaincy in favour of Clint Dempsey, like him he has just returned from Europe where he most recently featured for Roma and had a brief loan spell at Aston Villa in 2011. Good for the MLS but maybe not such a good thing for the USA team.

One for the Premier League

A former Germany youth international, Bayern Munich winger Julian Green has the distinction of having made his professional debut in the Champions League. Only 18, the son of a US serviceman and a German mother speaks English with a distinct Teutonic twang and is likely to be a game-changing option from the bench.

The bad boy

Frankfurt-born Jermaine Jones is leader of the squad’s German clique. Heavily tattooed and with a playboy lifestyle, the feisty midfielder has traded blows with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at former club Schalke, where he was exiled to train with the reserves by the manager Felix Magath.

The weakest link

Jürgen Klinsmann’s suggestion that Jozy Altidore should be playing in the Champions League will have been met with a grim chuckle at Sunderland where the highlight of the lumbering striker’s season was falling over at Stamford Bridge.

The coach

Klinsmann looks like he should be beaming from the cover of an airport paperback called something like The Power of You! He won the World Cup as a player in 1990 and reached the semi-finals as Germany coach in 2006, but the former Spurs forward with the dive-bomber celebration, who flies his own helicopter to work, has his critics. Strong on fitness but questionable on tactics, his team have been called “overtrained and undercoached”. But his motivation skills and focus on the big picture helped win him a new contract until 2018.

Tactics

The USA are a hardworking, competitive team at their most dangerous on the counterattack. Far from being johnny-come-latelies to the soccerball business, the USA were semi-finalists at the first World Cup in 1930 and have qualified eight times since and finished first in qualifying. They line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Bradley and Jones as the defensive midfielders, although the latter can be pushed on to aid the attack. The defence have a new look but the team cannot now count on the vastly experienced Landon Donovan up front after he was dropped. Recently repatriated Dempsey, late of Fulham and Spurs, is the main source of goals, perhaps unsurprisingly given that the first-choice striker is Altidore.

Grudge match

Mexico are the perennial regional rivals – USA fans like to chant “Dos a cero” after a string of recent scorelines. But this summer could also provide the Great Satan’s footballers with the opportunity to make a vague geopolitical point about nuclear non-proliferation or something – or more pointedly seek revenge for their 2-1 defeat at France 98 to Iran.

Holed up

The Americans will be based at São Paulo FC’s state-of-the-art Barra Funda complex and adjacent five-star hotel. The players had a training camp there in January and if they need inspiration to strut their stuff, they can look to Barra Funda’s resident flock of peacocks.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/usa-world-cup-2014-team-guide/feed/0Mexico announces World Cup squadhttp://www.caribpress.com/mexico-announces-world-cup-squad/
http://www.caribpress.com/mexico-announces-world-cup-squad/#commentsSat, 10 May 2014 20:09:03 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=35026Mexico coach Miguel Herrera announced his 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, with the inclusion of veteran defender Carlos Salcido perhaps the biggest surprise. Tigres player Salcido, 34, who featured at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, had not previously been involved with El Tri since Herrera took over as coach last year. The majority of the squad are based at home, including former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez, now of Leon, who will be featuring at his fourth consecutive World Cup finals. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez of Manchester United is the best known European-based player in Herrera’s squad, which does not feature Javier Aquino of Villarreal or Carlos Vela of Real Sociedad. Mexico toiled in qualifying for the World Cup, needing a play-off against New Zealand to make it to Brazil after finishing fourth in the final CONCACAF qualifying group. They are in Group A at the World Cup, alongside hosts Brazil, Croatia and Cameroon. Their opening game will be against Cameroon in Natal on 13 June. Mexico squadGoalkeepers: Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Guillermo Ochoa (AC Ajaccio/FRA) Defenders: Paul Aguilar, Miguel Layun (both Club America), Hector Moreno (Espanyol/ESP), Diego Reyes (FC Porto/POR), Francisco Rodriguez (Club America), Rafael Marquez (Leon), Carlos Salcido (Tigres) Midfielders: Hector Herrera (FC Porto/POR), Jose Juan Vazquez (Leon), Juan Carlos Medina (Club America), Carlos Pena (Leon), Isaac Brizuela (Toluca), Luis Montes (Leon), Marco Fabian (Cruz Azul), Andres Guardado (Bayer Leverkusen/GER)

Forwards: Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United/ENG), Raul Jimenez (Club America), Alan Pulido (Tigres), Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal/ESP) * Squad lists are only official once they have been confirmed and published by FIFA on 16 May at 12:00 CET.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/mexico-announces-world-cup-squad/feed/0New Zealand seal ninth finals berthhttp://www.caribpress.com/new-zealand-seal-ninth-finals-berth/
http://www.caribpress.com/new-zealand-seal-ninth-finals-berth/#commentsSat, 09 Oct 2010 01:11:40 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=2533The New Zealand women’s national team are through to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™. The Football Ferns sealed their berth at next summer’s finals by beating Papua New Guinea 11:0 in the Oceania Women’s Championship final on Friday 8 October 2010.

In a personal letter to New Zealand football association president Frank van Hattum, OC President Steffi Jones congratulated the New Zealand footballing family’s on the nation’s third successful qualifying campaign for the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

“Ever since I had the privilege of attending the U-17 Women’s World Cup 2008, I’ve been a great fan of football in New Zealand. Alongside rugby, where the All Blacks enjoy global renown, football and especially the women’s game are among the most popular sports in the country. The New Zealand women’s team are passionate and skilled, and will certainly enrich the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011,” commented Jones.

Nine nations are definitely through to the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to be staged in Germany: Australia, England, France, Japan, Korea DPR, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and hosts Germany.

The remaining seven places at the finals will be allocated as follows:

Africa (CAF): Two teams
Qualification: African Women’s Championship from 29 October to 14 November 2010 in South Africa.

South America (CONMEBOL): Two teams
Qualification: South America Women’s Championship from 28 October to 14 November 2010 in Ecuador.

North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF): Two teams
Qualification: CONCACAF qualifying tournament from 28 October to 8 November 2010 in Mexico.

The final place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be determined in a play-off between the team finishing third in CONCACAF qualifying, and the team finishing fifth in UEFA qualifying (Italy or Switzerland). The tie will be played on 20 and 27 November 2010.

The Final Draw takes place on 29 November 2010 in Frankfurt.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/new-zealand-seal-ninth-finals-berth/feed/0S. Africa may have to drop Bafana Bafana nicknamehttp://www.caribpress.com/safrica-may-have-to-drop-bafana-bafana-nickname/
http://www.caribpress.com/safrica-may-have-to-drop-bafana-bafana-nickname/#commentsMon, 26 Jul 2010 01:35:24 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=2003JOHANNESBURG _ South Africa may have to drop its Bafana Bafana nickname because of copyright issues.

The South African Football Association is involved in a dispute with a local businessman who acquired the rights to the name in 1994. SAFA made a reported $10 million profit from the name during the World Cup.

“I want to avoid saying we are very angry about it,” South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani said Thursday. “We are worried about it. We are concerned.”

He said the future of the nickname was being discussed “at a national level.”

Nematandani suggested the Bafana Bafana name, which SAFA uses on much of its official literature and is the popular term in South Africa for the national team, would have to be changed despite being “a national asset.”

SAFA began an extended legal battle in 1997 to claim rights over Bafana Bafana, but South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed in 2002 a SAFA motion that it had rights over Bafana Bafana.

There is no indication the current owners of the brand will sue SAFA for using the term, but the country’s soccer association is unable to market it and make money from it.

The issue has also reached South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the influential parliamentary committee on sport said Bafana should be changed if the copyright issue wasn’t resolved, forcing SAFA to address the problem.

“We brought it up because we felt that it was not doing us any good as an association,” Nematandani said at SAFA’s headquarters next door to the Soccer City stadium _ the venue for the World Cup final.

Speaking at a press conference to outline new South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane’s vision for the future of the national team, Nematandani said the public could be asked to choose a new nickname.

“It clearly has to be done the right way, but we cannot go on in this way. It is not proper, it is not correct,” the SAFA president said. “The name of Bafana Bafana came from the public and we are throwing the ball back to the public.”

Bafana Bafana means “the boys, the boys” in Zulu.

It is thought to have been used in the early 1990s by journalists in Soweto to refer to the national team after it was readmitted into international soccer after apartheid.

It was quickly picked up and is the affectionate name by which South African fans refer to their team.

In an Internet poll, it was voted one of the words of the recent World Cup _ along with vuvuzela.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/safrica-may-have-to-drop-bafana-bafana-nickname/feed/0The World engages online with FIFA.comhttp://www.caribpress.com/the-world-engages-online-with-fifa-com/
http://www.caribpress.com/the-world-engages-online-with-fifa-com/#commentsWed, 14 Jul 2010 01:19:51 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1916Multimedia platforms proved central to fans’ enjoyment of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ as FIFA – through its web and Twitter feeds – successfully delivered a range of complementary digital experiences to football enthusiasts around the world.

In addition to the many millions of fans watching the matches on TV, over 220,000 people followed FIFA’s official tweets on Twitter, while members of the five million-strong FIFA.com Club swapped 120 million virtual stickers and made over one million comments on the website as they debated the finer points of the tournament.

With its wide variety of content and interactivity, over the course of the tournament’s 31 days FIFA.com attracted over 250 million visits – approximately 150 million unique users, triggering seven billion page views: 410 million of those page views were recorded in a single day. When England and the USA played simultaneously, FIFA.com technicians reported a throughput of 1,000,000 hits per second at the height of the activity.

The level of demand for FIFA’s online content has surpassed FIFA’s expectations. FIFA.com welcomed three times more unique users than in 2006, serving pages to 150 million people over the course of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. FIFA exceeded forecasts for page impressions by 1.5 billion. The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ has witnessed a new level of digital engagement from fans across the globe

What started out a month ago on June 11th with 32 nations and a total of 64 games, culminated on July 11 with one Nation, the Spaniards, standing tall holding the World’s most coveted 18-carat gold Nike Victory, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Trophy. And as the winner, they were awarded a $30 million purse, while the Dutch as second place got $24 million.

The final match between the Netherlands and Spain lasted 120 minutes of tough challenges that ended with a one goal scored in the 116th minutes by Spain’s #6, midfielder Andres Iniesta.

The Dutch team failed to make a come-back within the last 14 minutes of extra time and had to settle for 2nd place silver medalist. The Dutch got a few good looks at Spain goal but could not close out their opportunities.

The game ended with 14 yellow cards being issued, 8 goes to the Dutch and 5 to the Spaniards. The Dutch #3 defender John Heitinga was ejected after receiving a red card, leaving his team with 10 men to play the rest of the game. The only goal by Spain came after he left the pitch.

The Germans, who had a very impressive performance, had to settle for 3rd spot after beating Uruguay, 3:2. The German top player, Thomas Mueller, had to sit out the semi-finals with Spain after receiving a red card during the quarter-finals match against Argentina. The 20 years old German striker Mueller was awarded the Best Young Player and Golden Boot at the end of the FIFA 2010 competition.

Before the grand finale match between Spaniards and the Dutch, former South African President Mr. Nelson “Madiba” Mandela accompanied by his wife, Graca Michel, made a grand entrance on the soccer field in a golf cart buggy. They received a standing ovation from the loud colorful diverse cheering soccer fans with the newly accustom raucous sound of Vuvuzelas filled the stadium air.

Present at the finale were an A-List of international stars, presidents, sports people, actors and other renowned personalities including international model British-Jamaican Naomi Campbell, Archbishop Tutu, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former World Player of the Year George Weah, Roger Milla, Marcel and Lucas Radebe , just to name a few.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela also known as Madiba became the first black president of once a divided nation which was previously governed by an apartheid regime Government. During his reign from May 10, 1994 to June 14, 1999, Mr. Mandela had secured a spot for South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first time in FIFA history, the competition was held on the African soil.

The next FIFA World Cup will be held in Brazil scheduled for 2014.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/the-spaniards-win-1-nil-over-the-neds/feed/0Interview with Shakira: I’m feeling the lovehttp://www.caribpress.com/interview-with-shakira-im-feeling-the-love/
http://www.caribpress.com/interview-with-shakira-im-feeling-the-love/#commentsSat, 10 Jul 2010 18:24:35 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1877After performing at the kick-off concert for this FIFA World Cup™, Shakira will also contribute to Final day in South Africa on 11 July when she sings the official tournament anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), before the players of Netherlands and Spain take the field at Soccer City.

The Colombian pop singer, who also performed prior to the 2006 Final in Germany, took time out from rehearsing to reflect on an “inspiring” month and explain to FIFA.com why she is rooting for Spain and why she has fallen in love with both football and her South African hosts.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/interview-with-shakira-im-feeling-the-love/feed/0A FLYING HEADER BY PUTOL RICOCHET THE SPANIARDS’ TEAM TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP FINALhttp://www.caribpress.com/a-flying-header-by-putol-ricochet-the-spaniards%e2%80%99-team-to-their-first-world-cup-final/
http://www.caribpress.com/a-flying-header-by-putol-ricochet-the-spaniards%e2%80%99-team-to-their-first-world-cup-final/#commentsThu, 08 Jul 2010 05:01:16 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1865The Spaniards eliminated the Germans with a one goal score to make their first appearance on the international World Cup stage. Spain takes on the Dutch team, when they go up against Netherland on Sunday, July 11, 2010. Neither team has ever won the FIFA Cup in their history of participating in the World Cup competition.

This year will be a lot of first for the FIFA World Cup: It’s the first time the competition is being played on African soil; And the first time both teams will compete against each other for the World coveted Cup

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/a-flying-header-by-putol-ricochet-the-spaniards%e2%80%99-team-to-their-first-world-cup-final/feed/02010 World Cup Reviewhttp://www.caribpress.com/2010-world-cup-review/
http://www.caribpress.com/2010-world-cup-review/#commentsSat, 03 Jul 2010 22:38:19 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1824PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa – What a stunner for Brazil in Mandela Bay Stadium! In the first quarterfinal of the 2010 World Cup, Brazil fell 2-1 to the Dutch and is the first team eliminated on Friday July 2nd.

The Netherlands got the better of the favorite Brazil, the five-time world cup champions, who came into the match as the number one ranked team, according to FIFA.

Brazil was 35-0-2 when leading at half-time. Those stats are out the window for Brazil.

Robinho gave Brazil the lead in the 10th minute, but the Netherlands equalized in the 53rd with an own goal from Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo.

Having won all five of their matches so far, the Netherlands extended its team-record unbeaten streak to 24 games, stretching back to a September 2008 loss to Australia.

The Netherlands reached the semifinals for the first time since losing to Brazil on penalties at the 1998 World Cup in France and will next face Uruguay in the Semi-Finals.

Brazil also lost in the quarterfinals four years ago, falling to France 1-0. Former Brazil captain Dunga was hired to coach the team after that loss despite no previous managerial experience and his future is certain to come into question now.

“We didn’t expect this,” Dunga said. “We know that any World Cup match is about 90 minutes. In the first half we were able to play better and we weren’t able to maintain that rhythm in the second half.”

The reception will not be good for Brazil when they go back home. They were expected to get further in the competition and lift the golden trophy.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Uruguay spoiled the party for Ghana. The match ended with the pain of penalty shootout defeat and Uruguay is in the semi-finals against the Netherlands. The hope for a nation ended in PK’s with Uruguay defeating Ghana 5-3 on Friday, July 2nd in Soccer City.

The Ghana Black Stars was the younger team. The South American team Uruguay has the experience. Ghana came very close to going to the semi-finals of the biggest tournament in the world’s most popular sport. But the Black Stars are going home.

After a 1-1 draw, Ghanaian Star striker Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty kick at the tail end of the second extra time period and Ghana lost on penalty kicks.

This win sent the South American country into the semifinals for the first time in 40 years.

Six African nation teams started the 2010 World Cup. Ghana was the only team to make it thus far. The Ghana Black Stars were trying to make history in South Africa.

With an entire continent behind them, the ‘Black Stars’ were trying to go where no African team has ever gone – to the semi-finals. But, the South American team stood in their way of advancing in the competition.

Cameroon, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana have all now fallen from the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Up next for Uruguay – Uruguay meets The Netherlands in the semi-final.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Germany ran over Argentina, had a staggering 4-0 quarterfinal victory on Saturday, July 3rd.

The Germans proved to be a team not to reckon with. Argentina had a weak defense line which denied them the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals.

This will be Germany’s third straight trip to the semis and its 12th overall.

Up next for Germany, they will meet Spain in the semi-final.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Spain celebrates and goes to the semi-final for the first time. Spain did it the hard way and defeated Paraguay 1-0 in Soccer City, Saturday July 3rd.

David Villa goal in the 83rd minute lifts Spain to the semi-final. This is the Striker’s fifth goal of the tournament.

Spain will play Germany in Durban on Wednesday, July 3rd and joins the European party with the Netherlands.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/2010-world-cup-review/feed/0Don’t count Algeria out at World Cuphttp://www.caribpress.com/dont-count-algeria-out-at-world-cup/
http://www.caribpress.com/dont-count-algeria-out-at-world-cup/#commentsSun, 20 Jun 2010 06:21:42 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1765CAPE TOWN, South Africa _ After its first-up loss to tiny Slovenia, few people gave Algeria any hope of making it past the group stage at this World Cup.

But a display of pluck, cunning and skill saw Algeria hold overwhelming favorite England to a scoreless draw on Friday, and thus avoid becoming the first nation to be eliminated from the World Cup.

Now, if Algeria beats the United States on Wednesday in its last group game, it has a chance of reaching the second round for the first time in its history.

“I didn’t think of the last match,” said coach Rabah Saadane, knowing his country should keep its ambitions limited. “We go match by match,” he said, acknowledging he had not even thought of FIFA’s tiebreaker rules in case several teams end up on the same points tally.

“Against the United States, it is going to be extremely difficult,” he said of the match in Pretoria.

Going into the final group games, Slovenia leads Group C with four points, with England and the United States on two and Algeria on one. A victory over the U.S. would see Algeria jump over the Americans and qualify for the knockout stages, unless England beats Slovenia by such a margin that it left Algeria and Slovenia tied on goal difference.

“We were determined to show them we were not just here for the ride and that we have a decent team. Now we have to play the United States,” said midfielder Riad Boudebouz. “If we play like we did tonight, we can beat them.”

Algeria’s qualification demonstrated its ability to prevail in vital matches. After a 24-year absence from soccer’s biggest tournament, it only assured itself of qualification by beating African champion Egypt in a one-match playoff.

The team, known as the “Fennecs,” or “Desert Foxes,” had its finest hour at the 1982 World Cup, when it beat West Germany _ one of the favorites _ 2-1, and then Chile 3-2.

Still, it was eliminated after an infamous match in which West Germany beat Austria 1-0, conveniently sending both teams through. That match led to a change in FIFA’s scheduling rules to have final group matches played simultaneously to avoid collusion.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/dont-count-algeria-out-at-world-cup/feed/0Brazil faces Ivory Coast trying to reach 2nd roundhttp://www.caribpress.com/brazil-faces-ivory-coast-trying-to-reach-2nd-round/
http://www.caribpress.com/brazil-faces-ivory-coast-trying-to-reach-2nd-round/#commentsSun, 20 Jun 2010 06:19:56 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1763JOHANNESBURG _ Brazil will face the Ivory Coast on Sunday with a chance to reach the second round of the World Cup with a game to spare in Group G.

A victory against the Ivory Coast will be enough for Brazil to advance ahead of its last group match against Portugal on June 25. The Ivory Coast needs to beat Brazil to get into a good position to move on, or at least hold the five-time champions to a draw to keep its hopes alive before playing North Korea in its final match.

“We gained confidence with the first victory and we need another one now to guarantee a place in the next round,” Brazil striker Nilmar said. “We can do it in advance, so we need to try to go for it.”

Brazil began the World Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the lowly ranked North Korea on Tuesday in Johannesburg, while the Ivory Coast was held to a scoreless draw with Portugal in Port Elizabeth.

“If we defend well, we should be able to get a good result,” Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue said. “(Brazil is) a great team, everybody knows this, but this motivates us and again we have to play at our best.”

It was unclear whether Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was going to start on Sunday at Soccer City Stadium, but coach Sven-Goran Eriksson hinted the Chelsea striker could be in the starting lineup. Drogba broke his right arm in a warmup ahead of the World Cup, but he underwent surgery and came off the bench to play more than 20 minutes against Portugal.

“Every player feels very, very well and we’ve got confidence in ourselves,” Eboue said. “If Drogba plays, it will be very great for us.”

The Brazilians are hoping Ivory Coast will not stay back on defense from the start on Sunday, creating the same problems that the defensive-minded North Korean caused in the opener. Brazil struggled to come up with scoring opportunities and needed second-half goals to earn the victory at Ellis Park.

“Ivory Coast will come out playing more offensively and that should give us some openings,” Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar said. “It’s harder for us if a team plays only thinking about defending and not about attacking.”

Brazil will reach six points with a victory, enough to guarantee the team one of the two spots advancing from the group. The Ivory Coast would not be eliminated with a loss, but it would make it very hard for the African nation to advance.

It will be the first match between Brazil and Ivory Coast, but Brazil has played African nations five other times in the World Cup, winning each time. The most recent was four years ago, when the Brazilians defeated Ghana 3-0 in the round of 16 in Germany before losing the quarterfinal to France.

“It will be a difficult game for us,” Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote said. “Brazil is very strong in attack so we have to watch out for that. We will have to be well-organized and attack when we can and when we have to.”

Coach Dunga acknowledged that Brazil was below its best against North Korea, but was expecting natural improvement.

“The tendency is for us to improve as we play more matches,” Brazil striker Robinho said. “Hopefully it will be enough to give us the win against the Ivory Coast and a spot in the next round.”

Robinho could take over the playmaker’s role on Sunday if Kaka continues to struggle to find his form after entering the World Cup recovering from a series of injuries with Real Madrid.

Kaka was far from his best in the match against North Korea and was substituted in the 78th minute. If he doesn’t play the entire match on Sunday, Robinho could move back to midfield.

Brazil should start with the same 11 from the start, as should the Ivory Coast.

Brazil has played in all 19 World Cups so far, while the Ivory Coast is playing only in its second. It failed to get past the group stage four years ago in Germany.

]]>http://www.caribpress.com/brazil-faces-ivory-coast-trying-to-reach-2nd-round/feed/0Man jailed for 3 years over World Cup ticketshttp://www.caribpress.com/man-jailed-for-3-years-over-world-cup-tickets/
http://www.caribpress.com/man-jailed-for-3-years-over-world-cup-tickets/#commentsSat, 19 Jun 2010 07:08:49 +0000http://www.caribpress.com/?p=1759PRETORIA, South Africa _ A Nigerian man has been sentenced to three years in prison by a World Cup-dedicated court in South Africa for being in unlawful possession of 30 match tickets.

Police said Kunle Benjamin was sentenced on Wednesday after he “could not give a satisfactory explanation” why he had the tickets in his possession.

Benjamin was stopped in his car in the South African capital Pretoria when police noticed him driving “erratically.”

Police said in a statement Thursday that a magistrate at the World Cup court convicted Benjamin of possessing stolen property. He was incarcerated without the option of a fine.

Police say FIFA discovered the tickets had been bought by two men on the Internet, but their addresses could not be verified.

“This is yet again an example of the effectiveness of having dedicated teams … to deal with World Cup-related offenses,” the police statement said.

Benjamin is thought to be the first person sentenced to a jail term by one of the temporary courts.

South African police have moved quickly to clamp down on any illegal activity that affects the commercial rights of FIFA and the World Cup.

Two Dutch women were arrested Wednesday for alleged ambush marketing after they were among 30 women wearing bright orange dresses provided by a beer company to the World Cup game between the Netherlands and Denmark at Soccer City.

Police said Barbara Castelein and Minte Niewpoort were each granted bail of 10,000 rand ($1,300) and had their passports confiscated. They will face charges relating to “unlawful commercial activities.”

FIFA said it would also press charges against the organizers of the stunt, brewer Bavaria, which is not a World Cup sponsor.